Dearly beloved:
We are gathered here today to give thanks and praise to the one thing that brings meaning to our wretched existences. That sacred thing that—regardless of who we are, where we come from, or whose t-shirt we’re currently wearing— unites us all. The lighthouse that guides we weary pilgrims to safety as we’re traversing life’s rocky shores.
Of course, fellow Vault Hunters, I’m talking about The Riff.
Praise be to St. Iommi the Creator, St. Wino the Obsessive, and to the Most High and Sleepy St. Matthew of Pike. And blessed be to the acolytes who lead the faithful towards the riff-filled land in their holy names.
And glory be to High Reeper for providing us with today’s devotional, “Soul Taker.”
These five good brothers from Wilmington, Delaware are truly adepts in The Way of the Riff, and their self-titled debut is piled high with one thick and smoky example after another. And while they certainly worship at the altar of Black Sabbath and St. Vitus, there’s considerably more going on in the band’s sound than that. Opener “Die Slow” might have those familiar heavy blues-and-brimstone riffs, but that track feels more like an exception rather than the rule. Elsewhere on the record, the dank guitar and bass interplay on “Weed & Speed” will induce a serious case of the munchies, “Friend of Death” gets its Zep on with a whole-lotta-hazy middle section, and the bass line anchoring “High Reefer” cuts a groove so deep that even the seasoned traveler could get lost in it for days.
On “Soul Taker,” which the faithful can stream below, High Reeper sound half like Hopper and Fonda riding easy down the highway on their custom choppers, and half like a smoked-out younger cousin of Humble Pie. The guitar and bass double one of the tastiest riffs on entire record, which the vocals pick up from the guitars on the verses in what has to be a nod to a certain Mr. Osbourne. Things really kick into high gear on the outro, where they shift into a double-time boogie that no true believer could possibly resist jumping up and getting down to.
High Reeper will be available on November 3, and can be preordered at this location.
In the meantime, go in peace to burn one down and crank this shit fucking loud.
